Consolations
by Spongyllama
Summary: Obi-Wan and Anakin help each other get through their losses. Two scenes taking place after The Clone Wars episodes "The Lawless" and "The Wrong Jedi."


A/N: I've wanted to write this for a really long time and just found the inspiration. To say I have a weakness for this kind of fic between the boys would be an understatement. Disney owns Star Wars, not me!

* * *

Anakin hurried through the halls of the Jedi Temple, his stomach churning as he approached his destination. He had been in a mission briefing when Obi-Wan came back from Mandalore, listening avidly to detail of the chaos raging on Cato Neimoidia. As he left, Yoda had approached him and gravely told him of the horrible fate of Satine Kryze, which led him here.

Anakin didn't know exactly what Obi-Wan's relationship with the late duchess had been, but he could imagine how this was affecting his old master. He knew better than anyone that behind the wise Jedi Master was still a human being with human emotions, even if Obi-Wan himself sometimes forgot it. And Anakin needed to let Obi-Wan know that he was here for him.

He extended his senses before he reached Obi-Wan's door and could immediately sense the familiar presence: superficially relaxed, but with turmoil buried deep, concealed where only someone who knew Obi-Wan's Force presence as intimately as Anakin did would be able to sense it.

Anakin raised his hand to the buzzer but found himself hesitating. He knew Obi-Wan probably wanted to be alone – but then he remembered all the times Obi-Wan had gotten Anakin to talk when _he_ wanted to be alone, and how many times it had helped. He pressed the button.

"Obi-Wan?"

A moment passed before he got a response. "Come in."

Anakin pressed the door release and entered. The room was dark, with only small beams of sunlight streaming through the closed blinds. Obi-Wan was rolling over in his bed and sitting up to look at him. _He looks tired,_ Anakin thought. _And not just physically._

"Sorry, am I disturbing you? I can come back –" Anakin offered, half-turning to the door.

"No, no, it's all right," Obi-Wan said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He took a moment to gather himself before looking at Anakin, who was surprised to see Obi-Wan looking almost...grateful. "It's good to see you, Anakin."

Anakin swallowed a lump in his throat. "I – I heard about what happened and...I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan. I just wanted to see if..." he trailed off, lost for words.

Obi-Wan just gave him a very sad, exhausted smile to let him know that everything was all right. "Thank you, Anakin."

Left in silence, Anakin awkwardly cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that if you ever need anything at all, I'm here – I mean, I'm shipping out with Ahsoka tomorrow, but until then –"

"I know, Anakin. Thank you," Obi-Wan replied, as warmly as he could in his present state. After another moment of not-uncomfortable silence, Obi-Wan abruptly stood up and straightened his tunics, as if nothing was wrong. "Well, if you're shipping out, how about we go have what will likely be the best meal you'll have for the foreseeable future?"

Anakin couldn't tell if Obi-Wan was really feeling as cheerful as he was letting on, or if he was burying down any guilt and sorrow he felt to save Anakin from the pain. But then, Anakin found, that thought left as quickly as it had come.

_That's not who Obi-Wan is, _he thought. _That's what _I_ would do, but never Obi-Wan._

But he had to check. "Are you sure?"

Obi-Wan's tired smile widened. "I am quite sure. Why don't we go out to eat? How about that new Tholothian restaurant you wanted to try?"

"Wow, aren't you feeling fancy?" Anakin said, trying his best to offer a small joke, the kind he would have said before the war burned all the humor out of them. It felt like a long time since they had had a chance to joke around.

Obi-Wan's smile tried to answer with the same futile attempt to make things more lighthearted. He clapped Anakin on the back. "Your treat," he said, and Anakin saw a trace of a twinkle in his eye before Obi-Wan left the room, beckoning for him to follow.

Obi-Wan wasn't okay, Anakin knew. No one would be, after that. Not even the most well-trained Jedi Masters. _But he will be_, Anakin thought. _That's just who he is._

* * *

Obi-Wan approached the door to Anakin's room, regretfully acknowledging a twinge of apprehension at what state he might find his friend in. He forced himself to release it, knowing it would only get in the way. Anakin had stood outside the temple for at least half an hour, staring at the spot where Ahsoka had walked off, before returning to his room. Obi-Wan had given him time alone, but now, he felt, it was time to offer his help the way Anakin graciously had when Satine died.

"Anakin?" he said to the smooth steel door to Anakin's room. When he heard a toneless "yeah" he pressed the door release and entered the dark room.

The sun had gone down and the illumination of Coruscant's skyscapers was too far away to provide any light, leaving Anakin shrouded in darkness. Probably how he wanted it, Obi-Wan knew, but he Forced the lights on so he could at least see Anakin. The Jedi Knight was slumped against some of the large metal crates he had full of spare droid parts, head resting against another crate, staring at nothing in particular.

Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure how this was going to go; Anakin had thrown a fit when Ahsoka was expelled, and it had taken nearly everything Obi-Wan had to calm him down. It didn't help that Obi-Wan had been away from Coruscant for most of the bombing investigation and Ahsoka's time in hiding, which prevented him from helping Anakin make it through that troublesome time. Now, however, Anakin was hollow, subdued, withdrawn, and Obi-Wan could not stop himself from wishing that Anakin was raging at him, unleashing his emotions instead of locking them up to the point where they drove him mad. Obi-Wan was not sure the hole inside his former Padawan was one that he could mend. Not this time.

"Are you just going to stand there analyzing me or are you going to sit down?" Anakin said without looking at him, his voice hoarse from hours of silence. Obi-Wan moved to sit on Anakin's bed, opposite him. He noticed Anakin was clutching Ahsoka's silka bead Padawan braid in his left fist.

Obi-Wan knew he had to tread lightly – but for one of the first times, he found he had nothing to say that might help Anakin. And he so, so dearly wanted to help Anakin.

"I'm so sorry, Anakin. I don't know how I could possibly help," he confessed, "But I will try, as you did for me."

"The Negotiator is speechless," Anakin stated humorlessly. "Well there's a first time for everything."

Obi-Wan just looked at him sympathetically. After a long silence, his voice thick, Anakin said, "Where's she going to go? She has no home, no money. No lightsabers," he added bitterly. He finally looked up at Obi-Wan. "What's she going to do?"

Obi-Wan softly patted the bed next to him, and Anakin mechanically moved to sit by his side. Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin's flesh one. "Ahsoka is one of the most capable Padawans I have ever met. If anyone can survive the new life she has chosen, it's her."

"The life she's chosen," Anakin repeated in a whisper, his eyes falling to Ahsoka's braid.

"And it is important that you understand Ahsoka _did_ choose this new life for herself," Obi-Wan said carefully.

"She didn't have another choice," Anakin said hollowly, and Obi-Wan could tell even he didn't believe the words that came out of his mouth.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Obi-Wan asked gently. "Me, or yourself?"

He expected to get a vehement rebuke for that, but it didn't come. Instead, Anakin just squeezed his eyes shut, letting a few tears fall down his cheeks.

Obi-Wan knew he couldn't stop now. "Tell me how you're feeling."

Anakin didn't even bother to hide his emotions. "Mad."

"At the Council?"

"The Council. Barriss. Tarkin. Palpatine." He considered for a moment. "Myself."

"Why?"

"Because I could have stopped this from happening."

"Could you have?" Obi-Wan asked, not harshly. "What could you have done differently?"

"I could have...found Barriss out earlier."

"Is that all?"

"I could've stopped Ahsoka from running."

"You tried as hard as you could to do that," Obi-Wan reminded him.

"Well then I should have tried harder!" Anakin said, staring at Obi-Wan, eyes burning. "She told me! In the sewers! Just before she jumped into the lower levels! 'You could have if you tried,' she said. But I failed her."

It wasn't the first time Obi-Wan had heard Anakin say he failed. He didn't know what that meant, but it instilled in him a peculiar sense of worry every time. "You did not fail her, Anakin," he said softly. "You worked endlessly to help her where many others did not believe in her, and she knows that."

"But _she_ didn't believe in _me_," Anakin said weakly, gazing out the large window at the far away cityscape.

Trust. That was what it always came down to for Anakin, Obi-Wan knew. The one thing more important to Anakin than anything else in the universe.

"Ahsoka trusted you more than anyone," Obi-Wan said. "She didn't leave because of anything you did wrong. She just has a new path that she must take now, and you should be proud of her for having the courage to walk away from something she no longer feels comfortable serving."

Anakin put his head in his hands miserably, still clutching Ahsoka's beads. "I _am_ proud of her. No matter what she does." He turned his head to look at Obi-Wan. "Do you think she knows that?"

Obi-Wan smiled for the first time. "I'm certain of it. I'm proud of her, too. As I am of you."

Anakin wiped away any tears he may have had and sat up, sniffling. "It's almost kind of funny," he said, his voice broken. "I lose my Padawan and I automatically start acting like one again myself." He looked at Obi-Wan. "Thank you, Master. For everything."

Obi-Wan placed a kind hand on his back. "Trust me, Anakin. We all feel like Padawans sometimes, that will never change." Anakin smirked a little and sat up. His shoulders were still slumped and his eyes miserable, but he looked grateful to have Obi-Wan there.

They sat there for a while, watching the lights of speeders sweep through the designated traffic lanes around the temple through the window. Eventually, Anakin said slowly, obviously unsure whether or not he should ask, "Do you think, maybe we could...I don't know...start doing missions together again? We hardly have lately, and I...miss that, I guess."

Obi-Wan smiled sadly. They both knew there was no guarantee of them shipping out together, but they also knew, as did the Council, that they worked far better as a team than they did individually. Mostly, though, Obi-Wan suspected Anakin just didn't want to be alone.

"I'll see what I can do."

Anakin nodded, and after a long minute, said, "So what now, Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan considered. "Do you want to get dinner?"

Anakin couldn't fight a smile. "Are we going to make this a tradition?"

"We can if you like. Your pick."

"All right...Chandrilan? I've been in the mood."

"Ah, very civilized."

"I knew you'd like it. Oh, and, Obi-Wan?" Anakin said, grinning. "Your treat."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I asked for that, didn't I?"

He knew Anakin would have difficulty adjusting, at first. He knew they would both be in pain for a long time. But if they stayed together maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out all right.


End file.
